


Bromance

by Sarcastic_Raspberry



Category: Oxenfree
Genre: Awkward situations, M/M, Sexual Situations, crude language, just basic white boy stuff, nothing bad though, somewhat homophobic language????
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 19:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5882053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcastic_Raspberry/pseuds/Sarcastic_Raspberry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Jonas comes back from Ren's, Alex senses a story and decides to dig a bit deeper on what exactly happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bromance

The door slamming shut was her first clue that something had gone wrong. Alex couldn't say she was surprised, really. The group as a whole didn't have too much hope in the way of Jonas and Ren becoming close. Whatever hope she had for them vanished as heavy footsteps echoed throughout the house. She put her book down as she walked to the doorway to greet Jonas as he came up the stairs. 

“So,” she began, “what's up, doc?”

“Nothing,” he grumbled, “just a shitty night.”

“What did you and Ren do, anyway?” she asked. “You’ve been gone for like, a few hours.”

“Nothing,” he said again. Seeing that the answer wouldn’t be accepted for a second time in a row, he sighed. “Look, just, we’ll talk later, okay?”

Then he went off and down the hall, leaving Alex in her doorway. She huffed, turning into her room and walking over to her bed.  _ If Jonas won’t tell me what’s up,  _ she thought, _ then I’m just going to have to ask Ren. _

She picked up her phone, typing in the number hurriedly as she pulled it to her ear. It rang once, and Alex was delighted when she heard the other end pick up. She was less so when the other end was dead silent.

“Hey Ren,” she said, feeling a bit uneasy at having to start the conversation.

_ “Oh, uh, hey Alex!” _ he said.

There was some shakiness in his tone, as if he was lying by just greeting her.

“Yea, hey,” she said back awkwardly. “So, Jonas just got home and he seemed pretty upset. So, I was wondering if you had something to do with it?”

_ “Oh, well uh,”  _ Ren said, stuttering and hem-hawing his way through the conversation,  _ “it’s funny that you should ask that because well, there may be a reason and I may be involved. Can we just leave it at that?” _

“Ren,” she groaned. “What did you do?”

_ “What-? Ah, me? I didn’t do anything!” _

“Look, Ren, he told me what you were doing,” she lied, “so you may as well fess up and tell me how you fucked up.”

_ “Oh God, I thought he said not to tell anyone!”  _ Ren said,  _ “Ugh, whatever, he was probably just pissed. You think he’ll get over it?” _

“Get over what?” she asked, leaning against her headboard as she became increasingly intrigued. 

_ “Okay, well, you know how they say it’s not gay if it’s a three way?”  _ he asked.

She froze. “You didn’t…” she said slowly, “Did you bang my brother? Who with?!”

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Ren calmly stated,  _ “You see, Alex, this leads me to believe that you didn’t actually know. You duped me, well played. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to move to Canada. I’ve heard it’s nice around this time of year.” _

“Reginald Adams- you are not going to hang up that phone until you tell me who else you and my brother had sex with! Oh God, was it Nona?”

_ “What?! No! No, we didn’t have anyone else! It was just us!” _

“Then how  is that a three way?” she asked, “Ren, that’s just sex. You realize that, right?”

_ “No, you don’t get it,” _ Ren said,  _ “Like, Jonas and I are just bros! I didn’t want to lose that bromance we’ve got going on. So, to prevent that, I made the case that it was actually a three way in spirit!” _

“Ugh, now I know why he’s so pissed,” she said, gripping the bridge of her nose.

_ “No, no! It can’t be this.” _

“Ren, you realize that you sound like a tool right now, right? Like, I love you and all, but you sound like a total fuckboy right now.”

_ “Yea, but I didn’t get to say any of this to him before he left,”  _ he said.

“Well, did you say anything to him?” she asked.

The silence from the other end of the line was deafening.

“Ren?”

He sighed.  _ “Now, in the moment, this sounded so much better than it does now.” _

“I’m sure it did.”

_ “But now, after hearing your wonderful deduction of what a tool I am, I’m beginning to understand why he may have been slightly upset.” _

“Go on, what did you say?”

_ “I may have said ‘No homo’ after mutually jerking off your brother.” _

Under any other circumstance, this would have been funny. Alex understood that. However, in that moment, she could do little more than let out a groan of frustration.

“Ren,” she began, “you have to be kidding me, Ren! You literally pulled the most dickish move in all of history.”

_ “Yea, I’m getting that now. What should I do?” _

“Well, what do you want to do?”

_ “What does that mean?” _

“Well, are you going to make an honest man out of my brother or are you going to preserve your ‘bromance?’” she asked.

_ “Wait you mean like, date him or something?”  _ Ren paused, seemingly thinking that through.  _ “I mean, I guess I could?” _

“Ren, so help me God, if that’s how you really feel about it, maybe you should think this through before you try getting in with one hundred feet of him.”

* * *

 

After the events of Saturday night, Sunday was a blur for Jonas. He’d only pulled himself out of his room to grab a sandwich, locking himself in his room before Alex was even awake. He so did not want to talk to her about any of this. There was always the chance that Ren had told her and, after hearing her screaming something on the phone not two seconds after they’d talked, he was pretty sure of just that.

This made Monday morning all the more unbearable. He could feel Alex’s eyes on him in the bathroom while they were brushing their teeth. He didn’t want to look at her, but couldn’t help the way his eyes met hers in the mirror. She looked away immediately, seemingly embarrassed for staring.

He spat into the sink.

“Ren told you, didn’t he?” he said, turning away from his reflection and leaning against the counter.

“Told me what?” she mumbled awkwardly around the toothpaste in her mouth.

Her frothy grin did very little to amuse him. He made sure this was known by furrowing his brow as he crossed his arms.

Alex sighed, spitting her own mouthful into the sink and wiping off her face as she said, “He didn’t mean to. I kind of tricked him.”

Jonas gave a deep groan, turning to the ground. “Look, whatever! Just- just don’t tell my dad, okay?” he said. “I mean, I think he’d be chill with it, but I kind of don’t want him hearing I banged your childhood friend before I get the chance, okay?”

“Uh, yea,” she said, leaning over the counter and putting her toothbrush in the medicine cabinet. She shifted up onto the counter, placing her hands between her knees. “So uh, he doesn’t know…”

“That I’m gay? No,” he said.

Alex nodded, turning to the ground herself.

At seeing that she was slightly hurt by the abrupt tone, Jonas let out a sigh. “Look, I’m not mad, okay? I just- ugh! You know what? I am mad! But I’m not mad at you. Okay? So, let’s just not be awkward about this.”

“Well, I get why you’re mad at him,” she said. “I mean, it was really a jerk move.”

“Eh, I should have known,” Jonas said. “He didn’t exactly seem like the guy who’d… well, he reminds me of this other guy I used to know. We didn’t work out.”

“Well, hey- if there’s one thing I know about Ren, he’s not like other guys,” Alex said.

“Tch, well don’t take it personally if I don’t show much confidence in him.”

* * *

 

The wait beside the doors of the school was a strenuous battle. Should he go inside instead? Outside, inside, outside, inside. Would Jonas even want to talk to him? Would he look creepy just waiting for him like this? Should he have witnesses or not?

All of these things were running through Ren’s head too little too late as he saw the boy he wanted to talk to coming down the road. He blended into the background on his own, but seeing Alex was enough to give him away. He’d know that coat anywhere. Jonas, on the other hand, was something else. He didn’t stick out and he didn’t want to stick out.

It made for an interesting person over all.

Of course, Ren definitely wasn’t thinking about that when he spotted him. As soon as Alex saw him, she turned to Jonas and gave him a touch on the shoulder, diving past and into the school. A few other kids flittered by, but Ren locked his eyes on Jonas.

The other gave him a harsh glare, as if daring him to make a move. Finally, it seemed as though he’d given into the unspoken request for a conversation, as he started to walk over.

The air was thick with awkwardness, mostly from Ren’s part as he looked down and then back up to Jonas. “You know,” he said, “I never uh… realized how tall you were until now. Like what are you? Six foot? Five eleven?”

“Ren, I’m really not in the mood. Just don’t avoid the subject,” he said. “We slept together Saturday night. That’s what you want to talk about, right?”

“Uh, yeah actually,” he said.

“Look, it’s whatever. I get it, you said it already.”

“I did?” he asked.

“Yea, ‘No homo,’ right?”

The bite in his tone was enough to make Ren flinch.

“Listen, about that,” he said, scratching the back of his neck, “I’m really sorry. I mean, I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Oh no! I get it, it just slipped out,” Jonas said. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“Hey! Wait!” Ren said, reaching out to grab his arm.

“What? What is it?” he asked. “What could you possibly want?”

“A date?” he said, his voice rising in pitch as he did so.

That caught his attention. Jonas turned to face him entirely again, crossing his arms.

“A date?”

“Yea, I mean- ugh!” he paused and let out a huff. “Look, I know I really fucked up, okay? I mean, I shouldn’t have needed Alex to tell me that. Oh and… uh, she might know about-”

“I know, keep going,” Jonas said.

“Well, what I’m trying to say is that I really wasn’t thinking. But I spent a long time thinking about this and if you wanna give me a chance, I’d really like to try doing this with you. Like, dating! We don’t have to do that again. Unless you want to- but if you don’t then that’s fine too and-”

“Ren,” Jonas said, both hands out to calm him down. He chuckled. “Look, if you’re being serious about this, I’ll go on a date with you. Then, after that, we’ll see how this goes, okay?”

Ren stared up at him for a while before a grin appeared on his face. “Ah yes! Thanks man! And, hey, I’m really gonna try this time! That’s no joke, alright?”

“Yea, whatever,” Jonas said with a small laugh. “Come on, let’s get to class already.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a real story. I was Alex.  
> Submit prompts at Sarcasticrazzfic on tumblr.com!


End file.
